This invention relates to a single system for disposing of and containing, storing, and transporting sharps and infectious medical waste, such as; sharps, liquids, semi-solids, and solids. These wastes are generated by health care institutions including hospitals, health clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient treatment facilities, nursing homes, dialysis centers, blood banks, medical laboratories and physician's and dentist's office.
This system is comprised of a master barrier container; a sharps container; and a support holder/stand. These three items create a safe method for disposal and containing infectious medical wastes, including bloodborne pathogens. Bloodborne pathogens can cause diseases in humans such as; HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) and HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) which can cause AIDS, as well as TUBERCULOSIS (TB).
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOR GERARD F. SCANNWELL stated, "It is vital that we protect workers who put their lives on the line to provide compassionate care for other Americans in illness and emergencies--protecting and saving lives, treating the sick, cleaning rooms and discarding wastes--from the risks of exposure". This statement along with the OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION'S bloodborne pathogen standards (29CFR PART 1910) identify the necessity for utilizing this invention in preventing the healthcare workers from 9200 infections and 200 deaths per year, that are caused by bloodborne pathogens or other types of infections.
THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION's research function estimates that in 1990, all generators of infectious medical wastes produced in excess of 63 million pounds of this wastes. This represents a 47.9 percent increase over the 42.6 million pounds of infectious medical wastes generated by all medical facilities in 1987.
Sharps, including disposable syringes with needles, needles, capillary tubes, scalpels, razors, glass tubing, slides and vials (broken or whole) and other sharp items capable of piercing plastic films, account for 48% of the total weight of medical wastes classified as infectious. 92% of this waste is collected and contained in rigid, puncture proof containers while the remaining 8% is collected and contained in cardboard containers or some other form of puncture proof container.